Milk cooler



Dec.

R. MARKLEY, JR

MILK COOLER Filed oct.l 22. 1942 2 sheets-sheet 1 IIE? fr fi.

De. 5, 1944. R. MARKLEY, ,JR

MILK 4 COOLER lFiled Oct. 22, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 line 5 of Figure 1, and

Patented Dec. 5,1944

lIlLK COOLER Richard Markley, Jr., Smyrna, Del., assignor to Wilson Cabinet Company, Smyrna, Del., a copartnership, `comprising John E. WillomJr., and Bertha M. Wilson Application Gctober 22, 1942, Serial No. 462,976 j 6 Claims. (Cl. 62-101) This invention relates to milk coolers of the general type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,188,839.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a milk cooler which. while having all of the functional advantages and desirable characteristics of the cooler disclosed in the aforesaid patent, will still show a substantial improvement both in structural and functional respects, over the milk coolers of the prior art.

A more speciiic object of the invention is to provide a milk cooler having an improved form of cooling element 'better adapted for milk-cooling purposes than the elements of the prior art.

Still another obiectof the invention is to materially simplify the internal structure of the cooler and to render it more readily cleanable and maintainable in sanitary condition.

tion 1 forms a mounting for a reirlgerating unit v l. this unit including an electric motor I.

The interior of the cabinet l is divided into a t piuraiity or compartments by longitudinal and transverse partitions Iland I2 respectively. The partition II is positioned relatively close to the rear wall 4 of the cabinet so as to leave a narrow lintervening chamber I3. The partition I2 extends from the front wall 3 to the partition II and divides the interior of the cabinet into two main compartments I4 and I6. This partition is somewhat higher than the partition II,\but

- its upper edge lies well below the tops of the The invention resides further in certain structural details and arrangements hereinafter dei scribm and illustrated in the attached drawings,

in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of a milk cooler made in accordance with my vinvention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is sectional view onthe line 3 3 of View on the Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating a modification within the scope of the invention.

With reference to the drawings, the embodiment of the invention therein illustrated comprises an insulated cabinet I having at the top two hinged lids 2 2 aiiording access to the interior. As shown in Fig.A 2, the lids 2 extend from the front wall 3 of the cabinet to a line short of the rear wall 4, the rear edges of the lids being hinged in each instance to a top wall section 5 which is held in place by means of screws 6. These top wall sections 5 are detachablefrom the body of the cabinet by withdrawal of the screws cabinet walls. as illustrated in Fig. 2. In the present instance, the upper portion of the partition I2 extends over the partition Il to the rear wall 4 and downwardly into the chamber I3 to a point below the upper edge of the partition I I. Thus, the partition I2 functions also lto divide the upper .portion of the chamber I3 at or near the longitudinal mid-section of thellatter.

The partition I I is of the form shown :in Figs. l and 5. It consists of a metallic plate formed with interior channels I6 which extend longitudinally of the plate, and Iare connected at their ends in a manner to ailord a tortuous passage extending from one longitudinal edge to the other, and in each pass embracing substantially the entire length of the plate. The partitioning plate II may be formed by welding together face to face two thin metallic plates Il and I8, the plate I8 being shaped to aiord the channels II.` In this manner, oneface of the plate is left dat, and in the assembly the 'partition plate II is arranged tition I2 and simplifies the operation of making this joint a water-tight one.

It has been found desirable, `in some instances,

to form the partition I2 after the manner of the partition II described above, as shown at IZA in Figure 6,"so that this partition also may be ccnnected with the unit 8 and may constitute a functional part of the evaporating section of the heat exchange system. By reason of the form of the channeled plate, this can be done without material sacrifice of effective space within the cabinet; and itA materially increases the potentialities of the cabinet for rapid cooling.

The electric motor 9 is arranged so that its shaft occupies a vertical position, and the motor shaft is connected to a shaft 23 which extends downwardly through the top cover member 1, see Fig. l, and has its lower end journaled in a fixture 24 which is secured at one side and near the bottom of the partition I2.v The fixture 24 is hollow and has one open end in registration with an aperture in the partition I2 to which it is secured. 'I'he fixture 24 also has anopening 25 at the top through which the shaft 23 passes, andv maintain a suitably low temperature in the water y arrangement is desirable.

sizes of cabinet the water-to-milk ratio deon the shaft and housed within the fixture is a propeller 26, preferably of the screw type as shown.

Rotation of the shaft and of the propeller 26 will necessarily set up a fluid fiow'through the fixture 24 from oneI of the openings lto the other, and from one of the main compartments I4 and vI5 to the other, depending upon the direction of propeller rotation.

Attention is directed to the fact that the partition I I is mounted in a slightly inclined position with respect to 'the vertical, said partition leaning slightly toward the rear wall 4 of the cabinet. It is to be noted further that the chamber I3 and the partition II being located at the rear of the cabinet underlie the top cover members 5-5 so that when the retaining screws 6 are removed,

the latter may be folded forwardly on the hinges 21 onto the tops of the associated top cover members 2, thereby affording access to the chamber I3 and to the partition II. The central portion of the chamber I3 which underlies the top cover member 1 maybe easily reached from the opposite sides through the openings afforded by removal of the top cover members 5-5, as described. l.

The operation'of the cabinet is essentially the same as that of the cabinet described in theafore said Patent No. 2,188,839. The cabinet is charged with a predetermined amount of water to a level well below the tops of `the partitions II and I2.

The water level in either of the compartments I4 or I5 may be built up at the expense of the level in the other compartment by operation of the mo-I tor 9 and of the propeller 26. The water builds up in the one compartment to the point where it overflows the partition II into the chamber I3,

- the waterthen passing downwardly in the chamber l3und'er partition I2 in this compartment, upwardly at the other side, and again over the partition `II into one or the other ofthe compartmen'ts I4 and I5. From here, it is again drawn by the propeller 26 into the adjoining main compartment for recirculation over the par' partments `I4 and I5 is caused to ow down and ,over'the surface of the plate -so as to have a contact with the'latter. The arrangement makes possible the use of refrigerating temperatures calculated to build up on the plate I I an ice bank 28, see* Figs. 2 and 3, this bank acting to in the cabinet and aiding in the rapid reduction or transfer of temperature from the milk when the containers of relatively warm milk are first placed within the cabinet for the cooling operation.

While I have shown the partition I2 centrally located, it will be understood that this partition may be off-center without departure from the invention, and -in some instances such off-center Thusl in the larger creases, and it is sometimes desirable to have one of the main compartments I4 and I5 somewhat larger than the other so that when the smaller compartment is flooded to overflow, sufficient water may still remain in the larger compartment to cover the pump port and to prevent sucking of air by the pump and interruption of the normal circulation.

I claim:

1. In a milk cooler, a cabinet forming a con` tainer fora liquid cooling medium, a plate ex-v tending between two opposite Walls of the cabinet and in proximity to a third wall and dividing the interior of the cabinet into two chambers of which one embraces a major part of said interior; said plate being adapted to constitute an evaparator unit of a refrigerating system, a second partition of greater height than and extending transversely of the first and dividing the. last named chamber into two compartments, and means for building up the liquid level in one of the compartments at the expense of the level in the other 'and to an extent causing overflow -of the first tition of greater height than and extending transversely of the first and dividing the last named chamber into two compartments, said transverse partition extending over the rst partition and downwardly into the lesser of the said chambers so as to partition the upper part only of the latter, and means for building up the liquid level in one of the compartments at the expense of the level in the other to an extent causing overflow of the first partition.

3. In a milk cooler, a cabinet forming a container for a liquid cooling medium, a plate extending between two opposite walls of the cabinet and in proximity to a third wall and dividing the interior of the cabinet into two chambers of which one embraces a major part of said interior, said plate being inclined toward said third wall and being adapted to constitutean evaporator unitv of a refrigerating system, a second partition of greater height than and extending transversely of the first and dividing the last named V chamber iinto two compartments, and means for building up the liquid level in one of the compartments at the'expense of the level in the other y into two chambersone o! which embraces the major part of said interior, a second partition or' greater height than and extending transversely of the rst and dividing the last named chamber into two compartments, means for building up the liquid level in one of the compartments at the expense of the level in the other and to an extent causing overflow of the rst partition, and

ber embracing a major part of said interior, a

second partition of greater height than and extending transversely of the first and dividing the last named chamber into two compartments, means for setting up a circulation of the liquid medium between said compartments and over the 25 first partition, a top closure for the cabinet including a dlsplaceable lid over each of said main compartments and an intermediate portion forming a, support for the refrigerating apparatus,

said lids terminatingshort of the rear Wall of the cabinet, relatively fixed members extending from the rear edge of each of the lids to the rear wall loi? the cabinet, and means providing for the detachment of said members so as to afford access to the rear chamber and to said plate.

6. In a milk cooler, a cabinet forming a container for a liquid cooling medium, a 'plate extending between two opposite walls of the cabinet and in proximity to a third wall and dividing the interior of the cabinet into two chambers of which one embraces a, major part of said interior; a second plate of greater height than and extending transversely of the rst and dividing the last named chamber into two compartments.

said plates being'adapted to constitute elements of an evaporator section of a refrigerating system, and means for building up the liquid level in one of the compartmentsl at the expense of the level in the other and to an extent causing overflow of the first partition.

RICHARD MARKLEY, JR. 

